Richard Pelster-Wiebe

Document Type

Syllabi

School

CLA

Department

DMA

Course Subject

DMA

Course Number

1980

Course Section

1

Course Title

Topics: DIY Doc Production

Academic Term and Year

Spring 2017

Credits

4.00

Area of Study

DMA

Course Description

Course description: How does the tension between making art and making history affect documentary filmmaking? Should documentary filmmakers think of themselves, in the phrase of Ken Burns, as “tribal storytellers”? What kind of historical consciousness is produced by documentary film? By what strategies and techniques do such films claim to represent the Real? In this course we will explore these questions and many more, as students become documentary filmmakers themselves. Since digital tools ranging from cheap cameras to cell phones are readily available, anyone may become a cinema or media artist who takes the time to shoot something and post their work on-line. This class will question the divide between professionalism and amateurism by encouraging students to make serious and thoughtful (or funny and thoughtful) work with limited resources. Students with no film and video production experience are encouraged to enroll in this class. Through a series of exercises and assignments, students will acquire skills and confidence to complete a final documentary project on a topic of their choosing by the end of the semester.

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